Ben Mendelsohn Talks ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’, Orson Krennic

Ben Mendelsohn has been a busy man as of late. Notably, he’ll be appearing in next year’s Captain Marvel as a Skrull. That’s not all: the Australian actor will also portray the Sheriff of Nottingham in the upcoming Robin Hood retelling, as well. Although intent on talking about both in a recent interview, the conversation eventually turned to Rogue One.

Depending on who you ask, Rogue One: a Star Wars Story just need a few tweaks here and there. That, or the production was in such rough shape it needed extensive work to complete a coherent film. Fans will remember that Lucasfilm brought in director Tony Gilroy to complete reshoots of Gareth Edwards’ entry into Star Wars lore. For Ben Mendelsohn, however, it was just another day at the office.

Ben Mendelsohn Discusses Rogue One

Image: Jonathan Olley/Lucasfilm

The actor gleefully admitted that, of his bigger roles, it was his work in the stand-alone Star Wars film of which he’s most proud. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Ben Mendelsohn discussed portraying Rogue One’s antagonist: “Playing Orson Krennic on Rogue One and being able to say that I built the Death Star, who else can say that? You can’t top it.”

He went on to talk about the on-set drama surrounding Gilroy’s involvement in re-shooting parts of Rogue One. The interviewer asked if he Mendelsohn was nervous or relieved about Gilroy coming on board. Mendelsohn said:

“I wasn’t either of those, it was just a case, from my point of view, that they were going to be working multiple units. Gareth was writing and then he would come and film some things and Tony was shooting his material. To me, it’s a collaborative business, and this was just business as usual.”

Will Mendelsohn Reprise his Role of Orson Krennic?

Image: Lucasfilm

As Mendelsohn’s focus shifts to Robin Hood and Captain Marvel, Star Wars fans have turned their attention back to Orson Krennic. We previously reported that Disney has a Cassian Andor spinoff seriesin the works for its streaming service, Disney+. Andor, as we know, was the Rebel spy charged with collecting information about the Empire’s new weapon in Rogue One. Director Krennic, of course, lead the Death Star project. It’s hard to imagine a Cassian Andor story without Krennic appearing in one way or another.

Fans can see Mendelsohn in Robin Hood later this year, and in Captain Marvel early in 2019.We can only hope we’ll see him reprise his role as Orson Krennic when Disney explores the darker side of the galaxy far, far away with the Andor series when it debuts.

About The Author

Lawyer by trade, writer by passion. Author of 'The Deep Space Chronicles' series available at Amazon.com, a rambling blog at jjgoodman.blogspot.com, and musings on all things 'Star Wars' here at That Hashtag Show.